Apparatus for displaying movable signs.



Y Patented Dec. 16, |902, J. P. BRYAN.

APPARTUSFOR UISPLAYING IOVBLE SIGNS.

(Applicationled Feb. 21, 1902.

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Patented' Der'.v I6, |902.

J. P UBRYAN'. APPluwnusy F03 n'lsPLA'vms. MovABLE snails.`

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No. 715,752. Y Patented nee. ls, |902..

J. P. BRYAN.

APPARATUS FDR DISPLAYING MOVAB-LE SIGNS.

(Application me@ Feb. 21, 1902.-) (No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH P. BRYAN, OF OGONTZ, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR DISPLAYING IVIOVABLESIGNS.

SPECIFICATION forming part f Letters Patent No. 715,752, dated December 16, 1902. Application led February 21, 1902. Serial No. 95,137. (No model.)

To al?, whom, t may concern:

Be it known than, JOSEPH P. BRYAN, a citi-V zen of the United States, residing at Ogontz, in the county of Montgomery and State vof Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement Iin Apparatus for Displaying Movable Signs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to advertising ,by exhibiting several signs in serial order, and is also applicable for indication of stations in railway-cars, exhibiting programs in places of amusement, and of announcement of services and ceremonies in churches and other public assemblies, and has for its object the prompt and easy showing of such signs in a predetermined order of arrangement by a compact apparatus; and to this end it consists of a case provided with guiding-grooves and moving mechanism, hereinafter described, for progressively moving the signs consecutively into positions of display and of concealment.

This invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows a plan of my invention with the top removed; Fig. 2, a side elevation With a part of the side removed; Fig. 3, an inverted plan View; Fig. 4, a vertical section in the plane indicated by the dotted line X X marked on Figs. 1, 2, and 3. Fig. 5 is an inverted plan view of a shorter form of my invention.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation thereof with part of the side removed. Fig. 7 is a vertical section thereof in the plane indicated by the dotted lines Y Y in Figs. 5 and 6. Fig. 8 is a horizontal section in the plane indicated by the dotted line Z Z in Figs. 2 and 4. Fig. 9 is an enlarged detached View of one of the roller-bearings shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 10 is a detached view of a part of one of the endless chains and arconnected cam. Fig. 11 is a detached enlarged side View of the bearings of part of the gearing shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 12 is an end view thereof. Fig. 13 is a modified form of gearing, and Figs. 14 and 15 are respectively a side view and a plan of another modication of gearing.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 8 of the drawings, 1 represents the case or frame of my apparatus, having closed ends 2, sides 3, with openings 4, through which the signs are visible, and a deck or floor 5, located a slight tween the strips 8 and the sides 3.

distance below the lower edge of the openings 4. On the oor5are fastened strips66, parallel with the sides 3, leaving grooves or channels 7 between the sides 3 and the strips 6. Similar strips 8 are placed in parallel position with the sides 3, near the upper edges of the openings 4, and are supported and held in position by cross-braces 9,secured to the upper parts of the sides 3, leaving parallel-sided channels 10 be- The strips 6 and 8 and channels 7 and 10 terminate in spaces 26, extending between and limited in width by the sides 3. The spaces 26 between the sides 3 should be in width a multiple of the thickness of the frames 23. Slots 11 are made through the floor 5 in the bottoms of the channels 7, through which cams 12 pass.y The cams 12 aresecured pivotally to endless chains 13, moved in a horizontal direction by sprocket-Wheels 14 on arbors l5 and 15', turning in bearings 16, secured to the sides 2 of the case 1. The arbors 15 are turned in reversed directions from each other by beveled wheels 17, operated by bevel-wheels 17' in an arbor 18, turning in bearings 19, (shown in Figs. 11 and 12,) so that the motion of the cams 12 in the slots 11 is from the ends of thecase toward the center. Propellin g power Figs. 2 and 3, a pinion 20 is engaged in a spur- Wheel 21 on the arbor 15 for this purpose.

Series of rollers 22 are placed in the bottom of the groove 7, upon which the frames 23 ride as propelled by the cams 12. The signs 24 to be displayed are mounted in the frames 23. The frames 23 are of rectangular form, with parallel sides, and of uniform size and of such thickness as to slide freely in the grooves or channels 7 and 10V and are drawn in dotted lines, so as not to obscure the parts otherwise concealed by them.

Springs 25 are attached to the sides 3 in the channels 7,'With the free ends pressing inwardlyin the channels, and when a frame 23 is propelled by others following it under propulsion from the cam 12 it presses the spring 25 back against the side 3 until the frame 23 passes the end of the strip 6, when the reaction of the spring 25 forces the frame inwardly into the space 26, where it forces other IOO similar frames into the path of the cam 12, which in turn forces the frames successively presented to it through the channel 7 in the opposite side, where by a like operation of a spring 25 the frames 23 are returned through the space 26, and the operation proceeds continuously. In the floor 5, under the spaces 26, are placed series of rollers 27, arranged to support and carry the frames With little friction from one side to the other. These rollers 27 are supported in a plate 27 and are set in rows in an order known as staggered, so that each frame hasacontinuous support on more than one roller throughout its progress through the space 2G.

The cams 12 are made of two parts 28 and 29, connected by a pivot 30, so as to be flexible in passing around the sprocket-wheels 14.

Guiding-strips 3l and 32 are placed at the ends of the spaces 26 to guide the frames 23 as they pass in the spaces 26 from one channel 7 to the other and are preferably provided with series of rollers 33 to avoid friction, similar to those shown in Fig. 9. The signs are thus displayed in their passage in the channels 7 through the open spaces4 and should, if to be shown on both sides, be double-faced.

As above described, openings are shown through which three signs are exposed at one time; but a lesser or greater number can be used by varying the length of the case or frame. The capacity for holding alarge number of signs and frames can be Varied by making the case wider or narrower, always observing that the space between the sides 3 is a multiple of the thickness of the frames 23.

The adjustment of the cams 12 as to relative time of operation should be such as to propel a frame 23 into the groove or channel 7 before the frame 23 in the opposite channel is forced into the space 26, and the number of frames 23 in one of the spaces 2G should he one less than will fill such space.

In Figs. 5, 6, and 7are shown a form of my invention in which only two signs are simultaneously in View and a diiferent form of propelling-gear is shown. The arbors 15 are turned in reversed direction by spur-Wheels 34 and 35, secured upon them and gearing into each other.

A modification of gearing applicable to larger cases is shown in Fig. 13, in which an arbor 36 bears a sprocket-wheel 37, driven by an endless chain 38 and a sprocket-Wheel 39. The arbor 36is propelled bya spur-wheel 40, engaging in the teeth of another simil-ail spur-wheel 41 on the arbor 15.

Yet another form of gearing for imparting reversed motions to the arbors 15 is shown in Figs. 14 and 15, in which cranks 42 of equal throw or stroke are formed in the arbors 15 and connected by a rod 43, having pivotally attached on its mid-length rollers 44, upon which it oseillates, the rollers 44 being supported and guided between parallel guides 45. In each of these forms of this portion of my invention a reversal of direction of rotation of the two arbors 15 is procured, and to this extent they are shown as mechanical equivalents.

This invention is applicable to advertising vans or wagons, and in such cases a springmotor is most convenient for operating it. When us'ed in positions where electric currents are available, electric motors are preferable, and for many uses it lnay be operated by hand.

Having described my invention and the operation thereof, what I claim is 1. In an apparatus for consecutively displaying signs or advertisements and like objects, a case having apertures in the sides thereof, grooved guides contiguous to the sides, frames fitted to slide in said grooves, endless chains bearing cams arranged to propel said frames,spaces leading from the guides of one sideto those of the opposite side and means of propelling said chains and cams in opposite directions, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In an apparatus of the kind specified, a case having parallel channels and spaces intercommunicating between the ends of said channels, frames adapted to contain signs fitted to slide in said channels, means for propelling said frames in opposite directions in said channels, in combination with springs arranged to force said frames from said channels into said intercommunicatin g spaces as set forth and described.

3. In an apparatus of the kind specified, a case having one or more open sides adapted to display signs, parallel guiding-channels on the opposite sides, and intercommunicating spaces at the ends of said channels,and means for propelling frames through said channels and spaces, in combination with rollers arranged in series in the bottom of said channels and spaces as described and shown.

4. In an apparatus for displaying signs two endless chains and two shafts and means for rotating said shafts in opposite direction, sprocket-Wheels upon said shafts arranged to propel said chains in opposite direction in combination with cams formed of pivotallyconnected parts and pivotally united with said chains and arranged to propel signs in opposite directions in grooved guides as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In an apparatus of the kind specified, a case having channels parallel with the sides thereof and spaces intercommunicating with the ends of said channels and frames adapted to slide in said channels and move laterally through said spaces, in combination with guides extending on each side of said spaces to control the motion of said frames through said spaces from one channel to the other as and for the purpose set forth.

JOSEPH P. BRYAN.

Witnesses:

C. R. MORGAN, F. D. TULL.

IOC

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